Confession
by mburns31
Summary: After the talismans appear, Haruka and Michiru have some things to discuss...


Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Sailor Moon or any of its characters. They're copyrighted by a bunch of people who aren't me. Hopefully they all have better things to do than make my life miserable for writing this story.  
  
This story has spoilers for Sailor Moon S.  
  
***  
  
Haruka stood staring out the window of the apartment she shared with Michiru, only half listening to the voice behind her. It was raining again, and the soft sound of the water, along with the pattern it created as it fell, only served to distract her further. The gray light outside as dusk settled over the city reflected her mood perfectly, and she felt her thoughts begin to drift.  
  
She shook her head slightly and forced her attention back to the conversation behind her.  
  
"Your talismans may be gone now, but they will reappear if you should need them. They are a part of you, and they can never truly be taken away. Eventually you will be able to summon them at will, as I can with mine."  
  
Haruka turned around to face the speaker. Setsuna sat on the floor, at the table in the center of their living room, her hands resting idly beside the cup of tea in front of her. Michiru sat opposite her, leaning forward slightly, listening intently to what she was saying.  
  
What Setsuna was saying was important, but try as she might, Haruka could not focus on it for very long. Her thoughts kept returning to what had happened earlier that day at the cathedral. But even the momentous events that had taken place - the discovery that she and Michiru had held two of the talismans they had been searching for, their subsequent death and resurrection, and the discovery of the Sacred Cup - even all those things faded away next to the other thing that had been revealed to her today.  
  
Soon Setsuna stood and took her leave, thanking them for their hospitality and telling them that she would return tomorrow to discuss things further. After they had said their goodbyes, Michiru showed her to the door. Returning to the living room, she sat down at the table again and said, "I think Pluto will be a valuable ally. She seems to understand our point of view."  
  
Haruka nodded absently, not saying anything, and after a moment Michiru looked down at the table, apparently lost in her own thoughts. A silence descended over the room, and Haruka turned back to the window. None of their lights were on, and their apartment slowly grew darker as the light outside began to fade.  
  
Finally, Haruka turned around again. "We need to talk, Michiru. About what happened today," she said.  
  
Michiru stood slowly and turned to her. "Yes, we should. Now that the Sacred Cup has been found, the Death Busters may become desperate. We should..."  
  
Haruka interrupted her. "No, Michiru. Not about that," she said, suddenly very angry. "I don't want to talk about the Death Busters, or the Sacred Cup, or Sailor Moon, or the Messiah, or any of that. I want to talk about us. Or were you planning to just forget about what happened today?"  
  
"Why did you try to stop Eudial from shooting me? We agreed that we wouldn't help each other, remember? Why did you throw yourself into her trap to try to save me?"  
  
Michiru looked downward, not meeting her gaze, and said nothing.  
  
Haruka didn't wait for her answer. "Even now, even after what happened, you still won't tell me how you really feel. You act like you're afraid to get too close to me. Why, Michiru? Why do you make this so hard?"  
  
Michiru looked up at her at that, and her voice was hard. "Don't you think I want this to be easy, Haruka? Do you think I enjoy this battle? Don't you think I'd rather be an ordinary high school girl, who didn't have to worry about the fate of the world, or fighting monsters? A girl who stares dreamily out the window in class, her only thoughts about the person she loves? But that's not what I am. I'm a soldier, and I have to worry about these things."  
  
Her voice became softer, sadder. "And the worst thing is, it never ends. I thought that, once we found the talismans and the Sacred Cup, it would all be over. The Messiah would be revealed and would triumph over the Death Busters. But we've found the talismans, and the Sacred Cup, and the war still goes on."  
  
Michiru looked up, and her eyes, the most beautiful eyes Haruka had ever seen, were filled with tears. "And every day we fight, I feel a little colder. Like a small part of me dies every day we're in this war. And I worry... I worry that, one day, my heart will die... And I won't be human anymore."  
  
Haruka felt the anger drain out of her as Michiru spoke. She walked over to her and put her hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "I won't let that happen, Michiru. Your heart is the most important thing in the world to me." She paused, feeling her own emotions rise within her. "I love you, Michiru."  
  
Michiru looked up at her and said, quietly, "I love you too, Haruka." And with those words, Haruka knew the greatest joy and the most incredible fear of her life at the same time. So overwhelmed with feeling was she that she barely heard Michiru's next words. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making it hard for you." Haruka wrapped her arms around Michiru, pulling her close, and Michiru buried her face in her shoulder and cried.  
  
Haruka meant to comfort her, but she ended up clinging to Michiru as much as Michiru clung to her. She finally surrendered to her own feelings, and tears began to run down her face as well. Haruka didn't know how long they stood like that, but when Michiru finally stopped crying it was nearly dark.  
  
No more words passed between them that night. They went to bed early, holding each other until they finally fell asleep, and for one night, they finally knew peace... And the warmth of love. 


End file.
